Spring-handling apparatus



July 10, 1928. 1,676,704 D. E. ODOM SPRING l iANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1927 :s Slieets-Sh abtoimq July 10, 1928. 1,676,704

D. E. ODOM SPRING HANDLING AFPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1927 5 Sheets-Shet 2 July 10, 1928. I 1,676,704

- D. E. ODOM SPRING HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1 27 3Sheets-$heet a V /I i r Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT, o ricE,

' H NIEL Epsom; 01f snnivnrtrsv niin, sourrn oARotINA.

' SPRING-HANDLING APeARATUs.

Application filed January 25, 1927; Serial No, 163,418."

This invention relates to spring handling apparatus and has relation more particularly to an apparatus of this kind particularly designed for use in the handling of" springs of a clock type such as is generally. in connection with the motors to used I furnish the power for sound reproducing machines and the like.- I

to provide an apparatusof this kind which,

in addition to facilitating an initial winding of'the spring of a clock formation, facilitates the Workman applying to or removing the spring from work ng position and in a manner materially expediting such operation.- j i v I It is also an object of the inventionto provide an apparatus ofthis kind which is adapted to facilitate the application .within or removal from a barrel or drum" as em ployed in varioustypes of springmotors of a spring and in a manner substantially eliminating danger to the'workman.

The invention also has for an object to provide an apparatus of this kind which can be employed with equal facility in connection with a single spring motor or with a motor employing a pluralityof springs.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this kindembodying a holding element for a spring barrel or other spring carrying member, said ele-.

ment being so constructed to permit its use with such barrels or members of "varying s zes.

The invention consists in thedetails of construction and in the combination'and ar rangement of the several parts of-my improved spring handling apparatus whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less exparatus, an associated support being shown in fragment; j a

' Figure 2' is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1;

I I 5 plan] illustrating Primarily it is an object of the invention.

. Figure' is afra gmentary View top; plan illustrating a modified form ofholding r element"; Figure 4' is a sociatedpartsin elevation-;-. I: a a F gure 5' s a fragmentary viewin top holding element;

Z -Figure 6 is a sectional taken 1on .gitudinally through the'structure illustrated. Y

inEFigure 5 with certain ofthe parts in elevat-ion;

uFigure 7 is a view in topplan of the. apparatus as herein embodied, with the spring under compression and-a spring retainer appliedthereto; 7 i 7 a v V sectional view taken length wise of Figure 3 with certain of the/asa further embodiment of I 05 -F gure 8 is a longitudinal: vertical sectional view taken through the structure as illustrated in-Figure i with certainofl'thej parts in elevationyp' i Figure 9 is aview in top plan-illustrating an assembly 'oflmy apparatus-for winding a spring, the spring- ,being. shown Pin a full,

wound adjustment with a spring retainer'apr pliedthereto, the travel of the spring during the winding operation being 1 diagrammatically indicated by brokenlines; a 1

Figure 10 isa vertical sectional viewtaken lengthwise through. the structure as illustrated in F igure 9 with certain of the-parts in elevation. a t a As'disclosed in Figures. 1, '2, 'Z and 8, my apparatus includes a holding element E com-, prising a base bar 1 of desired dimensions and which is provided adjacent to one end withia'n upstanding post 2 preferabl-y in-- tegrally formed therewitln The opposite end portion of'thewbase bar 1 is-provided V with laterally disposed diverging armsv 3 provided "adjacent their free. extremities with the upstanding posts 4. The element E may be cast with the variouspartshereinbefore referred to integrally: maintained in desired assembled relation;

The base bar l adjacent its opposite ends is provided theret-hrough withthe'openings '5, the lower portions of which vbeing re sirictedtofa'cilitate the base bar-1 being maintained in; fixed engagement with a suitable support S through the-instrumenltality of the headed'me'mbers'or screws 6.

As is particularly illustrated in FigureE,

these screws 6' are inserted from above within the openings 5 and caused to haverequisite engagement with the'suppor t S in'a manner to effectually hold or clamp the base bar 1 to such support S.

I do not wish to be understood, however,

as limiting myself'to the "manner of attaching the holding element E and'the parts formed therewith to the support S in the manner particularly illustrated in the 1-ac-.

' companying drawings because under certain conditions it maybe preferred that the. holding element E be supported-in a position; with the bar 1 vertically. disposed. For

engagement with the support 'S or the like.-

I It is to be noted that the free extremities of the arms v3 .arewsubstantially coplanar with-the adjacent-end of the barl 1, thus per- 'suchl pins being of'a length 'to' extend V desired rotation of. the mandrel.

mit-ting the element E' to be conveniently mounted with the bar 1 vertically disposed.

Also, I if preferred,- the element E may be held in substantially a vertical position between the jaws of a conventional vise; Whenso supported the post 2 or one of the posts 4 'isdirectly "engaged between the jaws of such vise.

- The posts2and4 have disposed through their inner or lower portions at points equi'- distantly'spacedi, from the bar 1 therp'ins 8, a desired distance inwardly of the posts. As is particularly.illustrated inFigure 1, the

" pin 8 carr1ed-by th'e post 2 is directed lengthv wiseof the bar .1 whilethe pins 8 carriedby the post 4 are disposed inlines converging toward an opening 9 disposed through. the bar 1 in the central portion thereof. These pins are snugly engaged through their respective posts 2 and 4 yet upon suflicient impact imposed upon the extremities of the pins they may be readily extendedror retracted withrespect to the inner faces of theposts.

The inner extended portions of .thegpins '8 provide'supports for a spring barrel or drum B. As herein disclosed. this barrel. or

drum B is of a cylindrical-type and of a character used in connection with a plurality of springs for supplying the requisite power forsound reproducing machines and the like.

The opening 9-in the bar 1, as illustrated in Figure 2 registers :with an opening 10 provided in thesupport S.therebyyreadily permitting insertion through the opening 9 and into the drum B of. a;-m'andrel 11'. This mandrel 11 is of'r'equisite length as the" occasions of practice may necessitate and is provided with a crank 12 to facilitate the It is to be understood; that the means forrrotating the mandrel forms no essential part of my invention as anyother means desired may i be employed in lieu of such crank 12."

- Presuming it is desired to remove a spring A from within a barrel B, the barrel with the barrel or drum Bcan be readily accoms plishedby the. tightening'of the member 1 1" threaded through the post 2 as the remaining two members let-may readily'constitute what may be termed stationaryclamping contacts. Of course, if desired, these remaining mem', bersmay be manipulated. .It is also to be understood that the threaded members l i disposed through the, post A are adapted to be adjusted asmay be necessary to compen; sate for the varying diameters of the barrels or drums B with which theelement E may be employed.

After the 7 spring has been properly engaged with the element E, the mandrel 11 is inserted through theopening 9 into the barrelor drum drum. B with its; contained V B. An arbor 15 is then slipped upon th end portion of: the mandrel 11 inserted within the barrel or drum B and keyed or locked thereto by a removable pin 16 or the like. The mandrel 11 is then longitudinally adjusted -to cause the arbor 15 to have requisite engagement with the inner end portion of the spring A, such connection; as generally indicated at 17, being in a. manner well known. :The mandrel ll is then rotated in a direction to tightly wind the spring A and after this spring A has been substan tially fully wound it hasengagedtherewith .a spring retainer R. This retainer R as disclosed in Figures-7 and -8- comprises an arcuate member 18 of a length in excess of a semi-circle but less than a complete circle,

said arcuate port-ion18 being} of a radius approximately the radius of the spring A when substantially fu11ywound.. e

One end portion of the arcuate member 18 isvcontinued by a perpendicularly related arm 19 terminating in an angularly disposed handle arm 20, said arm 20 being outwardly and substantially radially disposed withrespect to the arcuate member 18. The arm 19 is of a length to readily permit the meniber 18 to be; engaged withany one of the springs A which maybe arranged within a barrel or drum ,B, itbeing understood of course thata lower or inner spring is not to be worked until afterthe spring orsprings thereabove have been removed.

It is also tobe understoodthat the man drel 11 is of sucha length to permit the end portion thereof extending within the drum or barrel Bto bedisposed a sufiicient dis- 7 t ance beyond the coacting spring A to permit the ready application or removal of cial advantage to provide pliers with relatively long jaws so that the desired handling of the pin may be accomplished without requiring-the workman to directly engage such pin with h: s fingers.

After the spring A has been substantially fully wound by rotation of the mandrel 11 and the retainer member R applied, the mandrel 11 is moved endwise a distance to free" the arbor 15 from the spring A to permit the removal of the pin 16 and the withdrawal of the arbor 15 from the mandrel 11. After the arbor 15 has been removed, the spring A may be readily lifted out of the barrel or drum B 'upon proper manipulation of the retaining member R and preferably by grasping the handle arm 20.

It is -to be understood that before the spring A is lifted out of the barrel or drum B the outer end portion of the spring is disconnected from the wall of the barrel or drum B. No particular illustration or description in this connection is believed to be necessary as the same may be of any preferred character. p It is to'be stated at this time that when the spring A is substantially completely spring A will have a natural tendency to expand resulting in the arcuate member 18. having effective engagement. 7

The application of a spring with'n the barrel or drum B is-reversed to that hereinbefore described with respect to the removal of the spring although it is believed well to mention that in order to remove the retaining member R it is ,necessaryto further wind the spring A. After the member R has been: removed, the spring A of itself will have a. tendency to expand and during which time the mandrel-11 will rotate in re-' Verse direction. During this reverse direction, however, the operatorcontrolsthe speed of rotation by maintaining requisite hold upon the crank 12.

The upper faces of eachfofthe posts 2 and 4 are provided with suitable recesses 21 members or screws 14. In'the embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4', the bar 1 in an end portionthereof is provided with a plurality of longitudi- 'nally aligned openings 22 in which is adaptied to beselectively'inserted an extension 23 carried by. the lower or inner end of the post The post 2 is held-in desired adjuste 'l position through the 'instrumentality of a pin 24: disposed laterallythrough the bar. 1 and the inserted extension 23. To facilitate the requisite application of the pin 24 each of the openings 22 is intersected by a restricted opening 25. The pin2et as illus-: trated in Figure 3 is tapered although I do not desire tobe understood as limiting myself in this particular. I

In order to compensate for the varying selective positions of the posts 2 the inter-.

mediate portion of the bar 1 is provided with the longitudinally spaced openings 9 all of which registering with the opening 10in the support S. It is to be understood that the mandrel 11 will be selectively in sertedthrough an openingQ? in accordance with the position or adjustment of the post As illustrated inEigures Sand. 6, an end portion'of the bar I is providedwith. a 10111 gitudinally.disposedslot 26 disclosed as'b eing .open atrits outer endalthough this is not'essentialI The post 2 is of a length to permit an endportionl thereof to besnugly engaged Within the slot26 and held therein by the pins 27 selectively disposed through the longitudinally spaced openings 28 provided in the, side walls29 of the slot 26.

The intermediate portion of the bar 1 is provided. with an elongated slot 9 adapted to register with the opening 10in the: support S. The side wall of the slot- 9 is formed to provide a plurality of spaced bearing surfaces 30 with which the mandrel 11 mayv be selectivelyengaged in accordance with the desired ad usted position of the post 2 a Hny.

As is particularlyillustratedin Figure 1, it A is to be notedthat the portion of the support S upon which the major part of the bar l 'is engaged is reduced in thickness from opposite sides, as indicated generally at 31. There may be conditions whereby it is preferred to first engage the barrel or drumB between the j awsof a conventional vise before either applying or removing a spring A. lVhen this is done, the posts 2 and 4 are placed in overlying relation with respect to the barrelor drum B from above, said posts beingoutwardly'thereof. By having this portion 31 of the support Sire'duced convenient visual access is had within'the drum to facilitate the removal or application of a spring and this reduced portion 31 also permits the ready use of the retaining member B. When my improved apparatus is used in this manner, it

are.

is preferredthat the members 14 engage the 7 wall of the barrel or drum B with the bar 1 1 spring.

substantiallyparallel. with the jaws of the visa :By-this manner of applying the ap- I paratus the membersl l as engaged with the wall of the drum serve to counteract the tendency of .the jaws of the viseto distort the wall of thebarrel or drum or, inother barrels or drums are to be further held between the jaws ofa vise, it is only necessary that the members 14 be initially adjusted in accordance with the size of such barrels or drums so that when clamping action of the jaws of the vise is imposed upon'the drum the tendency offthedrumto distort will be offsetby the applied apparatus and at the same time resulting in the members 14 having requisite clamping action onthe barrel or drunnthusresulting in the effective action of-a five aw vise instead of a two jawvise,

My apparatus may also be employed to advantage in the winding .of'a stock spring or rewinding of a free spring. When used for such purpose a cylindrical member or bar 32'is insertedwithi-n either one of the openings and free to rotate therein. This memher or bar 32 is of; a. length when in applied or working position to extend a desired distance above orbeyond the bar 1 and said extended portion is provided with a radial slot 33 open at its outer end and through which the spring A to bewound is adapted-to freely pass. It will, therefore,

be understood that this member or bar 32 serves as a guide to facilitate the requisite winding of the spring A. The outer end of this spring is adapted to have disposed therethrough a stop member 34 which may be a'stock bolt or its equivalent. This stop member contacts or abuts the member or bar 32 at the time the spring A is'fully wound. In winding the spring A the mandrel 11 is inserted through the opening 9 and the arbor is engaged therewith in thesame manner as hereinbefore referred to. The inner end of the spring A- to be wound is operatively engaged with this arbor. 15 whereupon the mandrel 11 is rotated until the spring A has been fully wound. When fully wound-the spring A has applied thereto a retaining member R" of a type now generally used in the trade and which consists of an arcuate member of a length more than a semi-circle but less thanafull circle and disposed on a desired radius.

In winding the spring A there is a liability of the same iumpingaway. To avoid this disadvantage I provide a rod 35 of requisite length which is adapted to be selectively disposed through the openings36 in the upper portion of the post 2 and one of the 'postsfl, said rod 35 being disposed on such curvature to facilitate thisassembly. When so applied the rod 35 is disposedover the spring A in close proximity thereto and provides an effective medium toiresist any tendency of the sprlng A to jumpaway. It is to be understoodthat this rod 35 may posts l as the workman may prefer. Asis particularly illustrated in Figures 2 and 10.

it is to be observed that eachof the posts 2 and 4 is provided with a plurality of lon-. gitudinally, arranged openings 36.; This -per-; mits the desired placement ofthe rod35 in accordance with springs of varying widths.

It is also to be understood that the memher or bar 32 may be engaged within either.

of the openings. 5. lVhen employed in con nection with'the opening 5 adjacent to the post-,2 the pin '8 may. be readily moved.

through the post 2 .to ,avoidj oife'ring any hindrance or obstructionto suchmounting.

In the accon'ipanying drawings I show the" be operatively engaged with either of the. 2

course, that the mandrel ll will be provided I with corresponding openings. ,In practice, however, I find that effective results can be obtained byv the use of a'single pin 16 as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a spring handling apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention 1s particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility withwliieli itmay be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the' principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I'donot wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precisefarrangement and formation of the several parts'herein shown in carrying out my invention in. practice except ashereinafter claimed.

I claim j i 1. An apparatus for handling a clock-like spring comprising a base member, a rota t-' ing mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in oppo-- site directions, and; means arranged at one side .of the base member forholding a spring closely adjacent thereto, said mandrel at the same side ofthe base member as the spring holdingmeans being 'engageable -with the spring to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel,-said mandrel at the opposite side of the member being providedwith means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named. side unobstructed tor mandrel disposed through said base memher and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions, said mandrel also having lengthwise movement through the base member, and means arranged at one side of the base member for holding a spring closely adjacent thereto, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as the spring holding means being engageable with the spring to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel, said mandrel at the opposite side of the member being provided with means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named-side unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring.

3. An apparatus for handling a clock-like spring comprising a base member, arotating mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions, and means carried by the member and arranged at one side thereof for holding a spring, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as the spring holding means being engageable with the spring to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel, said mandrel at the opposite side of the member being provided with means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named side unobstructed tor the application or removal of the spring.

4:. An apparatus for holding a clock-like spring comprising a base member, a rotating mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions, posts carried by the base member and projecting beyond one side thereof, means carried by the posts for holding a spring, said mandrel at the same side of the 7 base member as the posts being engageable with the spring to wind or unwind the spring upon'required rotation of the mandrel, said mandrel at the oppositeside of the base member being provided with means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named side unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring.

5. An apparatus for handling aclock-like spring comprising a base member, a rotating mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions, means arranged at one side of the base member for holding a spring closely adjacent thereto, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as'the spring holding means being engageable with the spring'to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel, said man drel at the opposite side of the member being provided with means for rotating the unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring, and a reta'ining member en gageable with. the spring when sufliciently wound upo'nthe mandrell. Anapparatus for applying a spring to or removing'the same from a barrel for the spring comprising a. base member, meanscarried by the base member at one side thereof for holding the barrel, a rotating mandrel disposed through said base member andprojecting therebeyondin opposite directions, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as said holding means extending within the barrel for engagement with the spring within the barrel to Wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel, said mandrel at the opposite side of the member being provided with means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named side unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring.

7. An apparatus for holding a clock-like spring comprising a base member, a rotating mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions, posts carried by the base member and projecting. beyond one side thereof, means carried by the posts for holding a spring, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as the posts being engageable with thespring to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the mandrel, said mandrel at the opposite side of the base member being provided with means for rotating the same thereby leaving the first named side unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring, and means for adjusting one, of the posts with respect to the remainder. I 1

8, An apparatus for holding a clock-like springcomprlsing a base member, a rotating mandrel disposed through said base member and projecting therebeyond in opposite directions,posts carried by'the base member and projecting beyond one side thereof, means carried by the posts for holding a spring, said mandrel at the same side of the base member as the posts being engageable with the spring to wind or unwind the spring upon required rotation of the manposts with respect to the detachably mounted upon the mandrel at the same side of the base member as the spring .holdin means, said mandreIbein'gengagememherheing provided'with means for resignature. 7 drehseidmandrel at the epposite side of the v tating the same thereby leaving the first named side unobstructed for the application or removal of the spring.

In testimony whereof Ihereunto aifiX my DANIELE. ODOM. 

